MELBOURNE, Fla. – A Sebastian Police Department K-9 named Diesel was found dead Friday in a patrol officer’s car after he returned from a hearing in the Brevard County courthouse in Melbourne, officials said.
The Sebastian officer found the dog's remains in the sweltering vehicle about 7:30 p.m. near Prince Avenue and Crown Boulevard.
Brevard County Animal Services and Melbourne police were called to investigate.
The officer was not identified and it was not immediately known how long the police dog was in the car. Temperatures hovered at about 88 degrees for much of the afternoon, National Weather Service officials said.
John Blackledge, the commander of operations for the Sebastian Police Department, called the incident a tragedy.
“Unfortunately and tragically, a Sebastian police K-9 was found expired Friday evening. This was unexpected,” Blackledge said in a statement. “The situation is under investigation by the Melbourne Police Department and the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office Animal Services Unit because that's where the dog died. The Sebastian Police Department will conduct the appropriate administrative investigation subsequent to their independent investigation.”